Miss South Africa semi-finalists announced

Sun International announced the names of the 33 semi-finalists, as well as the star-studded panel of judges for the 2014 competition, yesterday. It was also revealed that Cell C is the new headline sponsor of the pageant. 

 

There are 33 Miss SA semi-finalists in total. Apart from KZN’s five, Gauteng has 12 contenders, the Western Cape nine, while the Free State and Mpumalanga have two. The Eastern Cape, Limpopo and North West each have one entrant.

 

They will be out to impress the 2014 judges: radio and TV personality Anele Mdoda who returns for a second time as judge; international DJ and recording artist Nkosinathi Innocent Maphumelo who is better known to his fans as Black Coffee and magazine editor and style icon Pnina Fenster.

Regarded as leaders and trend-setters in their respective fields, they will be judging contestants on intelligence, leadership, talent, physical fitness and a dedication to community service.

 

They have already started evaluating the contestants in the run-up to the finals at Sun City on March 30, 2014 where Miss South Africa 2014 will be crowned.

 

The 12 finalists will be revealed on Sunday, February 2, on Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161) as part of the Miss South Africa reality show which debuts on the channel on January 26, 2014.

 

Pnina Fenster says she is delighted in her new role: “It's an honour to be involved in an event that has such a long and illustrious history - the Miss South Africa pageant has inspired and delighted South Africans for decades and it continues to do so. It's glamorous, it's stylish, it involves meaningful charity work and it's fun. What's not to love about that?

 

“Beauty has, and will always be, something to which we aspire, a quality that intrigues and inspires. And if ever there was a time when celebrity could be put to good use, it's this one - as socially-conscious stars like Angelina Jolie, Don Cheadle and Matt Damon prove. In that respect, the Miss South Africa pageant can actually be even more relevant than ever, combining star power, charity drives and social media. The process of judging has been wonderful and it's been an honour, too, to judge alongside two extraordinary, bright and entertaining stars! The calibre of the semi-finalists is impressive and it will be tough to narrow them down to a field of 12.”

 

Miss South Africa 2014 will see an “extensive revamp”, including that the winner will be crowned in March 2014, instead of December, which means that unlike previous years, she will get to reign in the year of her appointment.

 

The full list of semi-finalists is: